Workplace Readiness Playbook

WORKPLACE
READINESS
PLAYBOOK

A HOW-TO GUIDE FOR
REOPENING YOUR WORKPLACE
As areas stabilize from the COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home
restrictions are lifted, organizations will begin to bring workers back
into the physical workplace.
One Acadiana’s “Workplace Readiness Playbook” outlines some of
the best thinking and practices on how businesses can safely return
to the workplace following the COVID-19 outbreak.
We are proud to release this comprehensive guide and look forward
to connecting with you to learn more about how we can help.

PREPARE THE BUILDING
Evaluating the space, cleaning plans, pre-return inspections,
HVAC and mechanical checks
• Conduct a thorough evaluation of your work environment
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Use a floorplan of your office space or conduct a walk through to note the number of
workstations and seating capacity for each space, include lobbies, conference rooms,
and other meeting spaces.
Note areas in the workplace with surfaces that provide high introduction or transmission
opportunities like office supply storage, photocopiers, break areas, restrooms, and
high-traffic areas where employees or customers may cross paths en route to other
areas of the office.
For high-traffic areas, establish a traffic pattern plan to circulate movement in only one
direction within your workplace. Communicate the traffic pattern to guests and employees.
Use signage or tape on the floor to remind employees and guests of traffic patterns.
• Deep clean and disinfect your workplace
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Consider engaging a professional deep
cleaning/restoration service to prepare
the building for reopening.
Ensure your workplace cleaning company
is up to date on current methods of safely
removing COVID-19 hazards.
Clean and disinfect all surfaces in your
workspace – workstations, counters,
photocopiers, common areas, door
handles, electronics,
soft surfaces, etc.
CDC Guidance on Facility Cleaning Prior
to Reopening can be found HERE.
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• Ready Mechanical, HVAC,
Fire/Life Safety systems
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Replace air filters after flushing
the building/increasing fresh air
intake. Refer to manufacturers’
recommendations and guidance
for filter selection Use the highest
efficiency rated filter recommended/
allowed by the manufacturer
(MERV rating) and reference WHO
guidelines HERE.
• Place hand sanitizer stations at key entry points.
• Post the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) poster in a visibale place.
Send via email to employees who remain working from home.
• Post reminders of social distancing, hygiene, and cleaning protocols.
• Ensure compliance with owner/Landlord requirements policies.
• Engage vendors in back-to-work plan.
• Review and prepare plans regarding changes to cleaning scope or any
additional services.
• Ensure all inspections, remediations, repairs, new construction, furniture additions/
removal, communications, and final deep cleaning are complete before reopening.
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REVIEW & REVISE POLICIES
Update policy and procedure manuals, reinforce and clarify new procedures
• Designate a workplace coordinator who will
be responsible for COVID-19 issues and their
impact at the workplace.
• Review and revise hiring
practices and policies
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Have staffing needs changed?
Do you need to change
benefits or pay to become
more competitive?
Use remote interviewing techniques as much
as possible.
Update onboarding practices.
If you are recalling only some workers that
were laid-off or furloughed, ensure your
practices for determining who to recall do not
discriminate against any group of employees.
• Review and revise leave policies
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Know how the FFCRA affects your previous policies and practices.
Consider implementing PTO/vacation rollovers, grace periods, and revise guidelines for
usage if vacation is forfeited if not used by year end.
Consider implementing or revising bereavement
leave policies.
Ensure that all employees have access to and an understanding of all leave policies that
may apply to them.
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• Review and revise work-from-home and childcare policies.
• Update work travel policies in light of any new state or federal orders and any new
practices being implemented in the workplace to keep employees/customers safe.
• Review rehire/reinstate provisions for your benefit policies (eligibility/waiting periods).
• Be prepared to quickly investigate and stop discriminatory speech or acts in
the workplace.
• Train managers on dealing with employees that may face increased personal
challenges during this time, such as bereavement and loss, childcare and
school-cancellation challenges, financial stress, and other dependent care
and support needs.
• Offer flexibility wherever possible and adjust workloads to be reasonable.
• Distribute all new or revised policies to all employees
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PREPARE THE WORKFORCE
Policies for deciding who returns and when; employee communications
• Mitigate anxiety of returning to the workplace through change management
planning and communications.
• Consider why people can benefit from returning to work
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Productivity from proximity to colleagues; socialization; amenities; and work tools &
resources
• Consider why people can benefit from working from home
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Health and family priorities; reduced commute time; technology enables WFH without
loss of productivity
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• Develop and execute detailed plan on how to return to work
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Explain company policies and procedures related to illness, cleaning and disinfecting, and
work meetings and travel.
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Educate employees on how to reduce the spread of COVID-19 at home and at work –
follow CDC recommendations HERE.
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Ensure employees understand what’s expected of them in the workplace. For example,
must they wear face masks or face coverings? Will protective items and hand sanitizer be
provided? Are workplace hours different? Will you be taking employees’ temperatures
each day when they arrive? Is teleworking or staggered shift work allowed/encouraged?
Ensure that all employees who are currently ill or have contact with an ill family member
stay home – follow CDC recommendations HERE.
If an employee becomes sick at work, send them home.
Promote safe social distancing in the workplace by encouraging employees to:
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Remain at least 6 feet away from each other
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Email, message, call, or video call rather than meeting face to face.
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Clean computer equipment, desktops, phones, and workstations often.
Provide hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies, and face masks or face coverings (where
appropriate/necessary) and no-touch disposal receptacles.
Discourage handshaking.
• Prepare and post reminders of social
distancing, hygiene, and cleaning protocols.
• Communicate your appreciation and
welcome employees back to work.
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CONTROL ACCESS
Protocols for safety and health checks, building reception, shipping/receiving,
• Control the entry points including deliveries
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Consider locking doors, posting signs to arrange for entry, or scheduling deliveries
• Reconfigure conference rooms and lobby areas for social distancing
• Install plexiglass shields as appropriate
• Clearly communicate building protocols through signage and floor markings
• Consider temperature screening for any individual entering the building
• Provide sanitizer, wipes, PPE as appropriate
• Disable touchscreens
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SOCIAL DISTANCING PLAN
Decreasing density, schedule management, office traffic patterns
• Consider phasing based on roles
and priorities.
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Alternating work weeks in the office and
working from home
Staggered arrival/departure times
Enable teams to negotiate their own
‘in-office’ schedules
• Introduce planning to support social
distancing/6 feet office protocols.
• Monitor space usage.
• Specify seating assignments for
employees to ensure staff adheres to
minimum work distances.
• Redesign spaces, alternate desk/chair use, etc., for social distancing.
• Enforce stringent cleaning protocols for shared spaces.
• Reduce capacity of space – e.g., remove some chairs from large conference rooms.
• Prohibit shared use of small rooms
and convert them to single-occupant
use only.
• Designate and signpost the direction of foot-traffic in main circulation paths.
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REDUCE TOUCH POINTS
& INCREASE CLEANING
Touchless entry, clean desk policy, food plan, cleaning common areas
• Maintain enhanced cleaning and
disinfecting practices.
• Supply disinfectants near or on each desk or
work area, particularly those that are shared.
• Remove communal food and ‘buffet-style’ meals
– consider restocking with single-serving items.
• Disable communal beverage stations –
e.g., coffee pots, water coolers.
• Enable DIY cleaning through hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and other
such products.
• Sanitize all workspace areas, including office, conference room, breakroom, cafeteria,
restroom, and other areas prior to opening. Ensure appliances/equipment are in
working order.
• Limit in-person meetings.
• Consider low-touch or no-touch switches, doors, drawers and other fittings.
• Remove high-touch shared tools such as whiteboard markers, remote controls, etc.
• Institute a clean desk policy.
• Create secured, designated storage areas for personal items – e.g., lunch boxes,
umbrellas, coats, jackets, etc.
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COMMUNICATE FOR CONFIDENCE
Recognize the fear in returning, communicate transparently,
listen/survey regularly
• Ensure leadership alignment on reentry
• Establish two-way communication
• Ensure a trusting and transparent culture
• Connection to a vision: As changes in protocol and policies are unveiled, find ways to
connect those messages back to the corporate vision. Understanding the “why” is a
great way to reinforce the “what.”
• Clearly set employee expectations, with an emphasis on making them feel secure
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Return to work/work-from-home policies and incentives
Guest and visitor policies
Employee travel policies
HR policies regarding illness, support for caregivers, etc.
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BEST PRACTICES FOR
INDIVIDUALS & EMPLOYERS
GUIDELINES FOR ALL PHASES: INDIVIDUALS
Continue to adhere to State and local guidance as well as complementary
CDC guidance, particularly with respect to face coverings.
CONTINUE TO PRACTICE GOOD HYGIENE
Wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer, especially
after touching frequently used items or surfaces.
Avoid touching your face.
Sneeze or cough into a tissue, or the inside of your elbow.
Disinfect frequently used items and surfaces as much as possible.
Strongly consider using face coverings while in public, and particularly
when using mass transit.
PEOPLE WHO FEEL SICK SHOULD STAY HOME
Do not go to work or school.
Contact and follow the advice of your medical provider.
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GUIDELINES FOR ALL PHASES: EMPLOYERS
Develop and implement appropriate policies, in accordance with
Federal, State, and local regulations and guidance, and informed by
industry best practices, regarding:
Social distancing and protective equipment
Temperature checks
Sanitation
Use and disinfection of common and high-traffic areas
Business travel
Monitor workforce for indicative symptoms. Do not allow symptomatic
people to physically return to work until cleared by a medical provider.
Develop and implement policies and procedures for workforce contact
tracing following employee COVID+ test.
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Source Material:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
WhiteHouse.gov
This material is offered for general information only.
It does not provide, nor is it intended to provide, legal advice.
May 2020